


He doesn't need to see it firsthand to know

by thursdayknight



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Ficlet, Gen, Protective Jim "Chief" Hopper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:15:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26209303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thursdayknight/pseuds/thursdayknight
Summary: Hopper wants to help Billy. Trouble is, he just doesn't know how.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	He doesn't need to see it firsthand to know

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Troublemaker](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26075257) by [LazyBaker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyBaker/pseuds/LazyBaker). 



> I was reading Lazybaker's "Troublemaker" and Ihni's "Cops" series, both of which are AMAZING and I thought, but what if it was a little bit different? What if Billy only fought fights that wouldn't get back to Neil?

Billy's got a reputation for starting fights, that much is a simple, well known fact, but what's interesting to Hopper is the way the kid goes about doing it. It's who he picks and why. 

Every teacher, every cop and every mom in town would tell you that Billy Hargrove has never been anything but sweet as pie and flatteringly charming to them. Boy gets good grades and keeps his mouth shut and that sort of behaviour is downright admirable.

But then he's also been at every single party Hop's ever busted up since the day he got into town, that any of his men have ever busted up since the day he got into town and he's funny, this kid, because he never causes trouble with Hop or with his men, never does anything other than smile and lay the charm on thick in a way that works whether the officer he's doing it to has seen it once or a hundred times. 

But they've also all arrived at a party to find him fighting some other kid, just tearing him (or her, a couple of times he's fought girls, but only ever ones that were fighting him back) to pieces. They've all had to pull him off of someone else, they've all seen the pure, unbridled rage in this kid. 

But Hop himself seems to be the only one uncomfortable with the way the kid can just flip a switch and immediately go from punching and screaming to, "Oh, you know, we're just fine, just got into a fight over something dumb, no big deal." 

It makes something in Hopper itch. 

It's too familiar. 

It brings up old memories best left forgotten, stuff he thought he had forgotten, and...

Well. 

Billy's got a reputation for starting fights. That much is a simple, well known fact. Less known, Hop might actually be the only one in town who knows, really, is why Billy starts fights. 

Billy starts fights for the same reason Hopper did at that age. Because his father beats him and the only friends he's got are his fists. 

And he only fights people who would never think to tell his father about it. 

Hopper lets out a long sigh. 

He wishes he knew how to help this kid. He doesn't want him to take the same long, ugly path to getting away from that type of violence that he did. He doesn't want this kid's path out to be the same as his was because the military? That's not really a way out, it's just a different type of violence and who the hell knows? 

This kid might not make it out alive like he did. Lots of guys don't. 

But he has no idea how to help the kid. 

Much as he wishes he did. 


End file.
